Something’s got to change in the Android world

Jellybean has been out since June of 2012 and I still don’t have it.My phone sits solemnly at Android version 4.04. I press the update firmware button and nothing happens. I wait another day, repeating this insane ritual to no avail. This phone is my crow to Poe’s ‘Nevermore‘.

In the past I used to root my phone, but that always ended up being more trouble than it was worth. The constant reboots, the phone heating up, and the lack of stability is what kept me away this time around. The problem is that as Google I/O approaches, I see no road map in sight that says my phone is ever going to be upgraded.

Rooting my phone might be the only way to get what I want, that’s unfortunate as it’s a black hole that I no longer wish to participate in

I use a LG Optimus G which is a darling of a phone. It’s a beast when it comes to specs. I have a 720p display, a quad-core processor, LTE, and NFC. What I don’t have is Jellybean! Jelly Bean came out on the 27th of June in 2012. This post is being written on March 8, 2013. It’s been 36 weeks (rounded down) and I still haven’t been able to use the latest Android software from Google.

Google I/O starts May 5. My guess is that Key Lime Pie will be announced and that will make it 2 versions of Android that I’m missing out on. I know that Android went closed source a while ago and Google is even more protective of Android after Samsung and Amazon forked the code base. The Open-Handset alliance is a joke. Timely updates….. whatever. It’s better to just assume that if you don’t get Google’s branded phones, you’re S.O.L.

That’s unfortunate because LG are the makers of both the Nexus 4 as well as the Optimus G. You’d assume that it would be a simple port, but you know what they say about assuming….

The underlying and ongoing issue is that every 4 months the phone manufacturers announce their latest and greatest. I love this, it keeps the competition moving blazingly forward, but I hate this. People who tossed over their money suddenly lose support and your phone starts to look less attractive because you can’t use the latest features. The hardware keeps getting better and the code keeps getting tighter. This obsolescence is manufactured.

Some manufacturers wait almost a year and a half before their phones get updates. Either the phone makers don’t have the time, or they feel it’s not in their bests interests. I understand, they rely on selling gobs of phones to as many people as possible in a growing market.

iPhone vs. Android user happiness

I say copy Apple in this regard. Apple has much higher loyalty ratings than Android and I think it all comes down the fact that when you buy an iPhone, or iPad, you know that Apple will support it for at least 3 generations. That’s 3 years. 2 of those years, if in America, you will probably be under contract and can relax knowing that your phone will always be up to date.

I wish Google and the manufacturers and the carriers would all get their acts together to figure this out. What’s the point of Google doing all of these enhancements if only a handful of users can use them? Rooting my phone might be the only way to get what I want, that’s unfortunate as it’s a black hole that I no longer wish to participate in. I simply want to turn my phone on and turn it off. It’s 2013, it’s time to disrupt fragmentation on Android. Rant over!

Lesson learned. If you want upgrades, just get the Nexus phone.

I was listening to Janelle Monáe’s Cold War while writing this post, and I’m probably on edge because I only had one cup of coffee this morning.